M/S Vibran
Updated Jan. 4-2012

To Vibran on the "Ships starting with V" page.

Crew List


Source: Roger W. Jordan collection (w/permission).
Another picture is available on this external page (click in it to make it larger).

(Received from Don Kindell - His source: The late Arnold Hague's database).

Final Fate:

Vibran departed Cardiff on Sept. 18-1942 alone in ballast for Halifax. Torpedoed and sunk on Sept. 23 (some say 24) by U-582 (Schulte), position 42 45N 42 45W (Uboat.net gives sinking position as 45 57N 30 05W, about 400 miles north-northeast of the Azores - external link).

34 Norwegian crew, 3 British, and 11 passengers died, no survivors.

Crew & Passengers - No survivors:
Received from Annie Fowler, whose grandfather Arthur Baker was a passenger on board. See her Guestbook message
This is the official casualty list from Nortraship.
Eilert Thomassen had previously served on Storaas, John Bakke, Evita and Maloja (see also this external page).
One of the casualties, Ordinary Seaman Per Bryn had served with Talabot when that ship endured the attack on Convoy MW 10 - follow link for details.
Here's a Guestbook Message from a relative of Henry James Wink.
Guestbook message from the granddaughter of Harry Nilsen.

Casualties
† Captain Per E. Palm	† 1st Mate/Radio Operator Peder Pedersen	† 2nd Mate Egil Johnsen	† 3rd Mate Harald Aksdal	† Radio Operator William Sydney Davis** (22), Glasgow	† Radio Operator Harry Nilsen*
† Able Seaman Peder S. Indbjo*	† Able Seaman Hans Særsten	† Able Seaman Bjarne Korsnes	† Able Seaman Alf Johansen	† Able Seaman Sevald Kvitanes*	† Able Seaman Jakob Ytterøy
† Able Seaman Reidar Christiansen	† Ordinary Seaman Per Bryn	† Ordinary Seaman Johan Ferås*	† 1st Engineer Rangvald Walvatne	† 2nd Engineer Toralf Johannesen	† 3rd Engineer Edvard Sirnes
† Assistant Hans Larsen	† Refrig. Engineer Alf Sjursen	† Electrician Nils Figved	† Mechanic Alf Eriksen	† Mechanic Hans Jensen	† Mechanic Rangvald Amundsen
† Oiler Jakob Holme	† Oiler Eilert Thomassen	† Oiler Hans Viklund	† Oiler Johan Olausen*	† Steward Frithjof Svendsen	† 2nd Steward Thorleif Olsen
† Cook Hilmar Bakke	† Galley Boy Torolf Skogen	† Mess Boy Kenneth A. Humphreys** (17) Liverpool	† Mess Boy Bertie Aitken** (age 17) Cardiff	† Saloon Boy Arvid Gannestad	† Gunner Martin Selbach
† Gunner Rikard Berge
Passengers
† Paul A. E. Bergby	† Fredrik Lis Vogt (Norw., born Milwaukee)	† Arthur Baker** Grimsby	† Olow Nicholai Berg (USA)	† Cyril Wilfred Dobson** Grimsby	† James Noble Hall** Granton
† Fredrik L. Stather** Hull	† Joseph H. St. Hilaire Quebec	† Peter Thomson** Buckie (Banffshire, Scotland)	† Joseph A. Vallee Montreal	† Henry James Wink** Grimsby

Notes on men denoted *
There is no Harry Nilsen listed at the Stavern Memorial which I've linked to below, but there's a radio operator named Harry E. Refne. This must be the same man, because his birthdate is the same as that found for Harry Nilsen on the official casualty list.
Also, there's no Able Seaman Peder Indbjo, but a Boatswain Peder Samsonsen with the same birthdate.
Sevald Kvitanes is listed as carpenter at the memorial.
Johan Ferås is listed as Ingolf J. Færaas, Able Seaman.
Johan Olausen is listed as Johan O. Olavesen, Seaman.
Some other names are also spelt differently.

More details on the men denoted ** can be found by entering each name in the relevant search field on The Commonwealth War Graves Comm. website (external link - be sure to enter WW II and the year 1942 to narrow the search). As will be seen, HMS Canada is listed as "unit" for several of them.

Related external links:
Stavern Memorial commemorations - Norwegians only are commemorated at this Memorial for Seamen in Stavern, Norway. (According to this memorial page on Uboat.net's website, there's an unknown seaman from a ship named Vibran listed as having died in Apr.-1942, buried at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Tromsø, Norway. Possibly an HMS ship?)

Operations Information for U-582

U-582

Coast Guard Cutter Duane - I've added this link because there's a little snippet about Vibran in the text under the heading "History", saying that this cutter sighted Vibran on Aug. 12-1942, exchanged signals and, after having been found to be a friendly vessel, she was "allowed to proceed east, but was examined closely and found to have no fittings for fueling U-boats. She had clean sides, no unusual armament and a deck cargo of invasion barges". From Page 3, we learn that Vibran was on her way from Halifax to the U.K. on that date.

Knutsen OAS Shipping today - with a brief history of the company.

Back to Vibran on the "Ships starting with V" page.

Other ships by this name: Haugesund had previously had a steamer by this name, delivered in Aug. 1891 to Brødrene Knudsen, Vibransøy/Haugesund, 419 gt. From 1903 she belonged to John Knudsen, 1908 Knud Johan Knudsen, 1916 John Aug. Knudsen, and from July-1919 Knut Knutsen O.A.S., Haugesund. Renamed Vibran II in 1934 and sold in Sept-1935 to Brødrene Anda Stavanger for breaking up, converted to barge and in use in eastern Norway until the 1950's. Vibran III was built in 1954, 3265 gt, became Suroit of Bordeaux in 1965, Coccinella of Augusta in 1972 - broken up in Turkey in Dec.-1996.

The text on this page was compiled with the help of: "Nortraships flåte", J. R. Hegland, "Våre motorskip", Leif M. Bjørkelund & E. H. Kongshavn, "Axis Submarine Successes of World War Two", Jürgen Rohwer, "The Allied Convoy System", Arnold Hague and misc. - (ref. My sources).

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